back to article This weekend: Watch HOT STARS shower! Moon won't interfere

The most highly anticipated meteor shower of the year, the Perseids, are due to start their usually prolific streak through the sky tomorrow night and run until Monday. Perseid meteor captured by Bill Pinnell. All rights reserved Perseid meteor captured by Bill Pinnell back in 2009. The Perseids originate from the debris …

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  1. D@v3
    Unhappy

    ahh, meteor shower

    cue loads of massive clouds as usual

    1. EddieD

      Re: ahh, meteor shower

      Sunday night, certainly up here, north of Hadrian's Wall is looking very good!

      I may see if I can place my camera

    2. Charles Manning

      Ahh, Blighty

      cue loads of massive clouds as usual.

      There. Fixed that for you.

  2. Ketlan
    Meh

    The Persys

    As usual, I shall go out and watch for the Percys and as usual, it will be cloudy and/or pissing down.

    1. Yet Another Commentard

      Re: The Persys

      Indeed, just checked the forecast - low level thick cloud until further notice, so sometime in 2017.

  3. jai

    The dog shall have to cross his legs for an extra hour or so to ensure we head out for his nightly constitutional after sunset.

    1. Wzrd1 Silver badge

      "The dog shall have to cross his legs for an extra hour or so to ensure we head out for his nightly constitutional after sunset."

      On notable occasions, we didn't cause the dog needless suffering, we simply let the dog take us out on an additional walk.

      He paused a lot more, as did we.

  4. Major N
    Pint

    well I'm up in the lake district this weekend so you know it's going to be thrashing it down for me!

    I managed to see them from suburban Derbyshire last year

  5. Inventor of the Marmite Laser Silver badge

    You can bet your sweet biddy

    It will be PI55ING down

    1. Kubla Cant

      Re: You can bet your sweet biddy

      The thing you bet is actually a "bippy" (Rowan & Martin's Laugh-in, c1967)

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: You can bet your sweet biddy

        you don't know, they may well have an old biddy they want to get rid of

  6. Lobrau
    Thumb Up

    Judging from the Met office website..

    ..it should be pretty clear here oop North. I want to see some rocks on fire so hope they're right.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Of course, if the clouds are in the way...

    ...then some of bearded old radio amateur types may well be making meteor scatter contacts by bouncing VHF signals off the ionisation trails.

    You have to be quick... :)

  8. Slap

    Plants, watch out for the plants

    Why, whenever I hear of a meteor shower, do I start treating plants with considerable caution.

  9. Joe Drunk
    Pint

    I had practically written this yearly event off of my calendar because much as many of you, it's always cloudy/rainy/overcast for this event. I haven't viewed them in more than a decade but this weekend's forecast here calls for clear skies! Woohoo!

    That calls for several drinks!

    1. Wzrd1 Silver badge

      "I had practically written this yearly event off of my calendar because much as many of you, it's always cloudy/rainy/overcast for this event. "

      I'm in the US, in Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia.

      I've long counted on clouds and highly probable rain whenever *any* celestial event occurs. Be it a meteor shower, eclipse, hypernova, doesn't matter. That is the day it'll be either pissing or shitting on us.

      Except when I was abroad, when it was clear... :/

  10. pierce

    do note, that meteor showers are always best watched well after midnight, until dawns early light. thats because at dawn, we are on the side of the earth facing the earth's travel around the sun, so we are on the leading edge moving through the meteor cloud, which is orbiting the sun on a highly elliptical orbit at a relatively fixed place in relation to earth's orbit (thats why the persieds are always in August, etc).

    1. Wzrd1 Silver badge

      "do note, that meteor showers are always best watched well after midnight, until dawns early light"

      When the rain shall strike one directly from above, save when driven sideways, owls shit upon you and the dew preferentially settles upon you.

      For, in reality, that is frequently what happens, in varying degrees.

      Only astronomers get all of the above when making observations.

      Typically whilst being infested by bats and worse, reporters. ;)

  11. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge
    Unhappy

    Did we miss the Cloud?

    So anyone seen anything?

    1. Jan 0 Silver badge
      Go

      Re: Did we miss the Cloud?

      I and my friends spotted plenty of bright meteors from the Norfolk coast on Saturday night. It wasn't entirely cloudless, but there was enough clear sky around midnight.

      BTW I'm always intrigued by the estimates of the numbers that will be seen. In my experience you'll see at least one meteor per minute if you lie on your back anywhere and on any date as long as you have a clear night sky without light pollution.

    2. Phil O'Sophical Silver badge
      Thumb Up

      Re: Did we miss the Cloud?

      Saw a few good ones last night. Clear sky, Milky Way very visble. Long periods with nothing, then three meteors within 30 seconds!

    3. BongoJoe
      Unhappy

      Re: Did we miss the Cloud?

      Not here on the south-western slopes of Snowdonia.

      Clear skies in the early evening followed by thick clouds at dusk all through the night. I don't hold much hope for this evening neither.

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Didn't see anything on Sunday night

    My dog couldn't believe his luck last night when I took him out for a SECOND walk at 11pm. Somewhat confused, he jumped into the back of the car as we drove to an area nearby that has a little less light pollution. But, despite lying on my back and staring at the faint patches of sky that were not obscured by cloud for 45 minutes, I saw nothing. Not a sausage. B***** all!

    Oh well. I'll try again tonight.

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Saw one about 20.30

    Big orange flash and everything.

    AC/DC

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